how you can to tell if your teenager is depressed

10 signs your teen may be depressed

1. isolation- If your teen doesn't want to be with you, it may be because, sadly, as a parent you aren't "cool." However, if they avoid everyone, including kids their age, and generally prefer to be alone, you may have a teen on the verge or in the midst of depression.

2. excessive anger- If your teen lashes out physically or verbally over things that are small, and insignificant, your teen may be dealing with depression. Most teens have a hard time dealing emotionally with big issues (divorce, friend moving away, breakup, etc), but if their anger is easily set off by small stupid stuff, you may want to keep an eye out for depression.

3. grades suddenly falling- If your Honor Roll student begins to bring home C's and D's you may have a depressed teen. Struggling in one or two new classes is nothing to worry about, but a significant drop in overall grades is something to keep an eye out for.

4. prolonged lack of apettite- We aren't talking about a night where they feel sick, but an actual prolonged period of not eating. When depression sets in it takes away simple natural desires like eating. The exact opposite may also be true. Some times kids deal with depression by over eating. The clue to look for is an excessive jump in one direction.

5. sleeping more than usual-The more depression sets in, the less your teen will enjoy life itself. The first way to escape life is to sleep. If your teen is lazy don't despair, but if your kid wants to sleep 14-18 hours every day, you may have a dpressed teen.

6. poor hygeine- Most teens care how they look, smell, etc. If your teen shows signs of poor hygeiene, it may be a direct result of depression. Depressed kids don't see the point of life, much less impressing people in their life that don't matter.

7. an obsession with wearing dark clothing-This may seem silly, but it's proven true over and over. Sure some kids like black for attention. However, many are looking for attention because their is something serious going on. Not every kid wearing black jeans is depressed, but many kids are literally trying to get our attention to no avail.

8. suddenly avoiding friends-If your teen suddenly cuts off their close friends, you need to be concerned. Teens depend heavily upon their friends. When they shun those closest to them, something serious is going on.

9. closing their social media profiles- When youor teen deletes his facebook, twitter, or myspace profile you should be on high alert. These sites are literally life to most teens. A deletion of their profile is a sign that some serious issues are coming to a head with your teen.

10. Lack of effort in everything they do-Most teens get a bad rap for being lazy. Sure, they can be lazy, but most put effort into something: sports, videogames, school, clubs, friends, etc. If your teen shows no effort or care for anything at all, you should be very concerned.